This worthy PBS series is now available on DVD. I watched it back when it was on PBS and have now enjoyed watching it a second time. I remember when I first saw it, I wondered who Susan Fleetwood (Molly) was. I discovered that she was Mick Fleetwood's sister (of Fleetwood Mac fame) and sadly passed on only six years after this series was made. It is an extremely evocative mystery set in the most spectacular place. Just the scenery is enough, not to mention the fabulous house. The only thing I wish is that I understood the mystery better and what Sandra's and Buck's roles were in the water commission thing and why one of the characters was hiding out and had to die!

"Summer's Lease" was the first John Mortimer book that I ever read and it transported me to Tuscany then- and it does so every time that I've read it since. The film version manages to capture much of the magic of the book in a story about a slightly dysfunctional family vacationing in a somehow sinister, rental villa in Tuscany. While the family dynamics appear to be the main purpose of the plot, this is in fact, a mystery as wife Molly searches for details about the mysterious owner of the rented villa; asking questions of the quirky residents of the local `ex-pat' community and following the `della Francesca' trail in search of the art works of Peiro della Francesca, and ultimately `The Flagellation", `undoubtedly the greatest small painting in the world.' The scenery of Tuscany is enhanced by the background music (by a group called Chameleon) in a way the mere pictures could never do - an acceptable compromise for the book's descriptive prose. There are lots of laughs from the antics of the various characters, especially those of Molly's randy father, played to perfection by John Gielgud, but the underlying sense of intrigue is never lost. A very enjoyable mini series that, sadly, is not available on VHS or DVD. Well worth watching it ever appears again.

Scenes from this series have remained with me years after seeing it. On the surface, it's a fairly slow-paced detective story, as the wife of a family summering in Tuscany uncovers a series of disturbing facts about a death that occurred before her arrival. The mystery is well handled, but what is really wonderful is the evocation of the atmosphere of the Italian countryside and its picturesque hill towns. It's also memorable for its over-the-top portraits of the seedy English aristocrats who live or are visiting in the region, especially Sir John Gielgud's portrayal of an unscrupulous octogenarian would-be Lothario. You'll feel you've visited Italy after seeing this, and the memories will be as vivid as those of places you've actually visited. I don't know why this series hasn't been rerun more often.

Intriguing story about an English family who rent a villa in Tuscany for the summer. Strange things are afoot and the mother/housewife of the family plays amateur sleuth. But it's done in such a very subtle manner--in the typical English manner. There is also a very stated undertone of marital unease that the wife and husband play to perfection. John Gielgud is TERRIFIC as the wife's father--he plays a socialist writer singularly preoccupied with shocking his family by his carefree attitude of love and sexuality--all this despite his advancing years.